Oregon's Gas Tax

Oregon is raising its tax on gasoline by 6 cents/gal when the new year starts (to repair bridges and roads, politicians say), and naturally people are whining about it. But, in fact, in real dollars OR's gas tax, even with the increase, will be the the lowest it's been in about 20 years - and quite low by historical measures:

Funny thing is, Oregon's roads are generally in pretty good shape, in my experience, compared to roads back east, because they don't undergo significant/any thaw-freeze cycles. (I never knew about "frost heaves" until I moved to rural New Hampshire, but they can be legendary.) On the other hand, there is a bridge in Portland, the Sellwood Bridge, that everyone expects to crash down at any minute.